red-tailed hawk

noun

\ ˈred-ˌtāld-

Definition of red-tailed hawk

: a widely distributed chiefly rodent-eating New World hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) that is usually mottled dusky above and white streaked dusky and tinged with buff below and has a rather short typically reddish tail

— called also redtail

Examples of red-tailed hawk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In October, wildlife rehabilitators at the New Mexico Wildlife Center took in a red-tailed hawk with puzzling injuries. — National Geographic, "Invisible menace: Methane flares scorching birds at U.S. landfills," 20 Nov. 2020 Watch for raptors like the Peregrine falcon, bald eagle, red-tailed hawk and those goshawks that Edge fought so hard to protect. — Jennifer Billock, Smithsonian Magazine, "Seven Places to Get Outside This Summer—and the Environmental Heroes to Thank for Them," 29 June 2020 Bird-watching walks occur monthly, providing even newbie birders with the opportunity to spy a red-tailed hawk or a belted kingfisher. — Jeanine Barone, The Know, "9 lesser-known public gardens in Colorado that are worth a visit," 23 Feb. 2020 Lilly found that the squirrels became more vigilant after hearing the cry of the red-tail hawk—freezing, fleeing, or looking up. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Squirrels rely on the original twitter to know they are safe," 7 Sep. 2019 The Medina Raptor Center offered close-up looks at a kestrel and a red-tail hawk held by center volunteers, and an African tortoise wandered around the retreat, followed closely by a member of the Northern Ohio Association of Herpetologists. — Mary Jane Brewer, cleveland.com, "Medina County Parks' Earth Day Festival provides family fun," 23 Apr. 2018 The Medina Raptor Center offered close-up looks at a kestrel and a red-tail hawk held by center volunteers, and an African tortoise wandered around the retreat, followed closely by a member of the Northern Ohio Association of Herpetologists. — Mary Jane Brewer, cleveland.com, "Medina County Parks' Earth Day Festival provides family fun," 23 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'red-tailed hawk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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red-tailed tropic bird

red tail snapper

red tape

Statistics for red-tailed hawk

Cite this Entry

“Red-tailed hawk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red-tailed%20hawk. Accessed 13 Apr. 2021.

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